Advertisement

Man who pushed woman at bus stop in quarrel over bus seats jailed

Teo Boon Theng pleaded guilty to one charge of using criminal force. (Yahoo News Singapore file photo)
Teo Boon Theng pleaded guilty to one charge of using criminal force. (Yahoo News Singapore file photo)

A 52-year-old man and a 64-year-old woman quarrelled over seats on a bus last year, a court heard on Wednesday (5 December).

When Teo Boon Theng saw fellow commuter Gan Vorakan at a bus stop a week later, he confronted her over their previous dispute and pushed her.

Gan stumbled and fell, and had a minor fracture of the spine.

At the State Courts on Wednesday, Teo was jailed for one month after pleading guilty to one charge of using criminal force.

The court heard that Teo and Gan, who did not know each other, first got into a dispute over bus seats on board bus service 32 in October last year. The bus captain on duty intervened and the commuters went their separate ways.

A week later, at about 5pm on 10 October 2017, Gan was sitting at a bus stop along River Valley Road when Teo saw her there. He recognised her from the previous incident and confronted her about it.

Gan got up from her seat. In the midst of their argument, Teo pushed her once. As a result of the push, Gan took a few steps backwards, before stumbling and falling on her back.

She had pain in her lower back and suffered from a fracture. She was discharged from hospital the same day with three days of medical leave.

Gan still has occasional pain whenever she walks.

For using criminal force, Teo could have been jailed for up to three months and fined up to $1,500.

Other Singapore stories:

2nd SCDF officer jailed over NSF’s drowning during ragging incident

42 wedding guests ill in another mass food poisoning case in Singapore

Police warn of fake letters sent by bogus police officer